Graduate Faster, Advance Sooner
The Fast-Track Program lets qualified CIS Tech undergraduates get a head start on graduate study by applying up to 12 credit hours toward both degrees. Juniors and seniors can take approved major courses or guided electives that count toward the Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems & Technology and also fulfill requirements for either the Master’s in Information Technology and Management or the Master’s in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.
Fast-Track allows students to take graduate courses while still undergraduates, paying undergraduate tuition rates. They can enter a master’s program without a GMAT or GRE and complete both degrees in under five years, saving time and money. Early exposure to advanced coursework sets students apart, strengthens their skills, and opens doors to better career opportunities.
Skip to Fast-Track FAQs for CIS Tech StudentsFast-Track Admission Processes and Policies
A cumulative 3.20 GPA and completion of all major preparatory courses are required for admission into the Fast-Track Program. For complete program details and requirements, please visit the Jindal School’s Fast-Track page.
Fast-Track Course Options
Computer Information Systems & Technology students who Fast-Track take graduate courses toward either the Master’s in Information Technology and Management degree or the Master’s in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence degree. See the appropriate charts below to determine how the graduate coursework would apply to both your CIS Tech degree and the MS degree of your choice.
MS Information Technology and Management
CIS Tech students Fast-Tracking into ITM, review the chart below to determine how ITM graduate coursework would apply to both your CIS Tech and ITM degrees:
CIS Tech Major Related Courses and Graduate-Level Course Options
| UG Course No. | UG Course Name | GR Course No. | GR Course Name | GR Requirement Met | GR Cross-Listed/Similar Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITSS 4381 | Object Oriented Programming with Python | MIS 6382 | Object Oriented Programming with Python | MITMMS Core | BUAN 4381 |
| ITSS 4300 | Database Fundamentals | MIS 6326 | Data Management | MITMMS Core | |
| ITSS 4360 | Network and Info Security | MIS 6330 | Cybersecurity Fundamentals | MITMMS Elective | ACCT 6313 |
| ITSS 4330 | Systems Analysis and Design | MIS 6308 | System Analysis and Project Mgmt | MITMMS Elective | ACCT 6340 |
| ITSS 4351 | Foundations of Bus Intel | MIS 6309 | Business Data Warehousing | MITMMS Elective | ACCT 6309 |
CIS Tech Guided Electives and Graduate-Level Course Options
| UG Course No. | UG Course Name | GR Course No. | GR Course Name | GR Requirement Met | GR Cross-Listed/Similar Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITSS 4359 | Preparing for Cybersecurity Threats | MIS 6384 | Preparing for Cybersecurity Threats | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS 4358 | Applied Cybersecurity Analytics and AI | MIS 6368 | Applied Cybersecurity Analytics and Risk Management | MITMMS Elective | BUAN 6368 |
| ITSS 4357 | Digital Forensics and Incident Management | MIS 6333 | Digital Forensics and Incident Management | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS 4371 | Cloud Computing with AWS | MIS 6363 | Cloud Computing Fundamentals | MITMMS Core | |
| ITSS 4352 | Introduction to Web Analytics | MIS 6344 | Web Analytics | MITMMS Elective | BUAN 6344 |
| ITSS 4353 | Business Analytics | MIS 6324 | Business Analytics With SAS | MITMMS Elective | BUAN 6324, BUAN 6356, MIS 6356, OPRE 6399 |
| ITSS 4354 | Advanced Big Data Analytics | MIS 6346 | Big Data | MITMMS Elective | BUAN 6346 |
| ITSS 4355 | Data Visualization | MIS 6380 | Data Visualization | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS 4340 | Enterprise Resource Planning | MIS 6319 | Enterprise Resource Planning with SAP | MITMMS Elective | OPRE 6390 |
| ITSS 4343 | Integrated SCM Info Systems | MIS 6369 | Supply Chain Software with SAP | MITMMS Elective | OPRE 4320, OPRE 6369 |
| ITSS 4344 | CRM using Salesforce | MIS 6378 | Customer Relationship Management with Salesforce | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS | ITSS Guided Elective | MIS 6389 | AWS Cloud Solution Architecture | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS | ITSS Guided Elective | MIS 6347 | AWS Cloud Analytics | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS | ITSS Guided Elective | MIS 6351 | Identify and Access Management | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS | ITSS Guided Elective | MIS 6374 | Internet of Things | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS | ITSS Guided Elective | MIS 6398 | Blockchain Technology and Applications | MITMMS Elective | |
| ITSS 4320 | Intro to Healthcare Info Sys | MIS 6317 | Healthcare Informatics | MITMMS Elective | HMGT 4321, HMGT 6323 |
| ITSS 4342 | Analysis Design of ACCT Systems | ACCT 6343 | Accounting Information Systems | MITMMS Elective | ACCT 4342 |
For additional options, students must meet MS ITM Program Director (msitm@utdallas.edu) and BS CIS Tech Program Director (bsits@utdallas.edu).
MS Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence
MS Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence CIS Tech students Fast-Tracking into MSBUAN, review the chart below to determine how MSBUAN graduate coursework would apply to both your CIS Tech and MSBUAN degrees:
CIS Tech Major Related Courses and Graduate-Level Course Options
| UG Course No. | UG Course Name | GR Course No. | GR Course Name | GR Cross-Listed/Similar Course | GR Requirement Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITSS 4381 | Object Oriented Programming with Python | MIS 6382 | Object Oriented Programming in Python | MIS 6323 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4360 | Network and Info Security | MIS 6330 | Cybersecurity Fundamentals | ACCT 6313 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4351 | Foundations of Bus Intel | MIS 6309 | Business Data Warehousing | ITSS 4351, ACCT 6309 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4382 | Applied Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning* *ITSS 4382 is a Guided Elective for catalog years up to 2023 |
BUAN 6341 | Applied Machine Learning | MIS 6341, OPRE 6343 | BSANMS Elective |
CIS Tech Major Related Courses and Graduate-Level Course Options
| UG Course No. | UG Course Name | GR Course No. | GR Course Name | GR Cross-Listed/Similar Course | GR Requirement Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITSS 4352 | Introduction to Web Analytics | MIS 6344 | Web Analytics | ITSS 4352, BUAN 6344 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4353 | Business Analytics | MIS 6324 or BUAN 6356 | MIS 6324 Business Analytics with SAS / BUAN 6356 Business Analytics with R | ITSS 4353, BUAN 6324, BUAN 6356, MIS 6324, MIS 6356, OPRE 6399 | BSANMS Core |
| ITSS 4354 | Advanced Big Data Analytics | BUAN 6346 | Big Data | ITSS 4354, MIS 6346 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4355 | Data Visualization | MIS 6380 | Data Visualization | ITSS 4355 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4340 | Enterprise Resource Planning | MIS 6319 | Intelligent Enterprise Systems with SAP | OPRE 6390 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4343 | Integrated SCM Information Systems | MIS 6369 | Supply Chain Software with SAP | OPRE 4320, OPRE 6369 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4320 | Intro to Healthcare Info Sys | HMGT 6323 | Healthcare Informatics (no prerequisite) | HMGT 4321, MIS 6317 | BSANMS Elective |
| ITSS 4342 | Analysis and Design of Accounting Systems | ACCT 6343 | Accounting Information Systems | ACCT 4342 | BSANMS Elective |
For additional options, students must meet MS ITM Program Director (msbuan@utdallas.edu) and BS CIS Tech Program Director (bscist@utdallas.edu).
Fast-Track FAQs
Pay close attention to the Fast-Track requirements. Where most students get delayed is not having their major preparatory courses complete when they are ready to apply to the Fast-Track Program. Plan your undergraduate courses appropriately to meet all other Fast-Track requirements by the time you satisfy your major preparatory courses, ensuring that you have not taken the undergrad courses you intend to take the grad version of. Need help figuring it out? Contact the CIS Tech inbox at bscist@utdallas.edu.
Fast-Track allows you to take up to 12 credit hours at the grad level. If only 9 credit hours of those courses satisfy your undergraduate degree requirements, work with JSOM Advising at JSOMFast-Track@utdallas.edu to discuss your options to take an additional grad course while still an undergrad student and have it apply only to your graduate degree plan.
No! For many reasons:
- Fast-Tracking allows you to satisfy your undergraduate degree requirements with graduate-level courses, giving you a more in-depth understanding of the topic with more experience applying the learned topics. Meaning, you have a better understanding of the topic and have the application experience to make it relevant on the job market.
- Graduate tuition is higher than undergraduate tuition. Fast-Track allows you to take up to 12 of the 36 credit hours required for a graduate degree, meaning up to a third of your Master’s degree will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate.
- There’s no obligation to complete your Master’s degree after your undergraduate graduation. If you decide to start working full-time or take a break, you can come back to finish your graduate degree within a year without needing to apply to the graduate program. (Graduate coursework can be applied to an applicable degree for 72 months from the semester it was taken.)
Basically, there’s no downside. It saves you time and money.
It can vary depending on what you’ve already completed at the undergraduate level. Most begin graduate courses in the second semester of their junior year or in their senior year. Be smart and plan ahead by ensuring you’ll meet the Fast-Track requirements to apply and begin graduate courses when it works best for you. Need help figuring it out? Contact the CIS Tech inbox at bscist@utdallas.edu.
Nope! Upon completion of your undergraduate degree, Fast-Track students are automatically matriculated into their graduate program.
No. You must first submit a Fast-Track application. After acceptance, you will work with JSOM Advising and they will register you in your requested graduate course.
You’ll need to review the course options for the relevant program on the JSOM Fast-Track page or email JSOMFast-Track@utdallas.edu to discuss your options.
Yes, they do, but the policies and procedures may differ among programs.
- CIS Tech students Fast-Tracking into ITMs may request review of their undergraduate internship work to assess whether it may be used to waive the graduate internship requirement.
- CIS Tech students Fast-Tracking into MS BUAN do not have a waiver option. They should follow up with the MS BUAN program to understand the graduate internship requirements.
Ask a question about CIS Tech Fast-Tracking
Jindal School undergraduate advisors can assist students with enrolling in the Fast-Track Program. Any student interested in choosing a different course should schedule an appointment to see the Information Systems Area coordinator, or one of the corresponding program directors.
Michelle Bellamy
Director, Master’s in Information Technology Management
Sunela Thomas
Director, Master’s in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence – Flex and Online
Computer Information Systems & Technology Program
Student Testimonials
Ann Mathew, BS’18
Staff Consultant, A-Lign
ITS is the perfect balance of technical skills and management skills, and a degree from JSOM equips you with the technical skill set you need to stay one step ahead in today’s fast-paced world.
Jonathan Niere, BS’17
Consulting Staff, Moss Adams
The most valuable aspects of the ITS program at UT Dallas are its quality education and curriculum.
Ashwin Vaithianathan, BS’19
As a transfer student, I reached out to the ITS Department at UTD, and they were always willing to help me with any questions and concerns that I had.
Adam Perry, BS’18
Sr. Account Systems Engineer, Dell EMC
As a full-time IT professional with more than 20 years of experience, I have a unique perspective compared to most undergraduate students.
Start your Undergraduate Application
Before you apply, get familiar with the application process for Jindal School of Management undergraduate programs at UT Dallas.
How to Apply